Baghdad alloactes big budget for asphalting streets

[Sara Johnson]

Baghdad alloactes big budget for asphalting streets Friday, March 25th 2011 6:28

PM

Baghdad, March 25 (AKnews) - The Services Commission of the outskirts of

Baghdad said Thursday that 60 billion dinars were allocated for the pavement of

six streets inside and outside its centers in addition to the rural roads

within an emergency plan that must be completed within three months.

The head of the commission Taha Hatef al-Difaei told AKnews that after the

council of Baghdad province approved on the balance of the regions which is

amounted by 645 billion dinars, the province allocated 60 billion $ including

the paving of roads of six districts including its center and the districts

that belong to it.

"The districts covered by the plan are Abu Ghoreib, Tarmiya, Istiklal, Madaen,

Taji and Mahmudiya."

Iraq suffers from dilapidated infrastructure in the overall sectors as a

result of long years of siege and war during the last two decades of the last

century.

Despite the passage of eight years since the former Iraqi regime was toppled,

the Iraqi governments were not able to provide basic public services to

citizens who often protest against their lack.

"The plan was named the emergency plan and will be completed within three

months to repair the roads and streets in some rural areas and repair the power

networks, and plans were prepared to begin the work next week."

"The province allocated 17 billion dinars as supplemental allocations that will

be distributed among six districts which include 34 areas by 500 million dinars

for each area," adding that "this strategic projects will be carried out by

foreign and Iraqi companies."

"There are foreign consulting offices that oversee the work of these

companies," warning the companies to stick to deadlines, plans and

specifications in order not to be included within the blacklist of the body."

The Mayor of Madaein district Mohsen Nasser told AKnews that "the plan

developed by the Commission to pave the streets of Madaein district is not at

the required level," stressing on that "the municipality of Madaein is seeking

to deliver services to all areas of the district."

"The Municipality began implementing many procedures in the right way in

agricultural areas and rural villages and urban centers, counties and

districts."

The Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave on February 27 his cabinet ministers

100 days to improve the performance of their ministries after a wave of

protests that swept most of the Iraqi cities to demand of reducing corruption,

improving services, increasing the hours of processing power, delivering the

ration card on a regular basis without interruption, and finding successful

solutions for the elimination of unemployment, in addition to dismissing some

governors and local councils.

Reported by Yazn al-Shemmari

RN\GS AKnews

http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/227284